fAST fORWORD

Listening vulnerabilities are the root of many speech, language, reading, writing, and spelling problems. If untreated, they cascade into a variety of language-based academic learning difficulties. Research has demonstrated that “brain processing efficiency” is now an essential component in the learning equation. Students build strong foundations in memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing—the cognitive skills essential for learning—in the Fast ForWord exercises.

Users describe Fast ForWord as “glasses for the ears” that change listening from “dial up” to “high speed.”

Students who present with the following language behaviors can benefit from adding Fast ForWord intervention to their individualized treatment plans:

· Misunderstands what is said

· Needs instructions repeated

· Difficulty understanding long sentences

· Difficulty telling a story in order

· Trouble paraphrasing

· Trouble finding the right words

· Pronounces common words incorrectly

· Has trouble listening in noisy places

· Trouble reading and spelling

The elegance of Fast ForWord is its ability to train the auditory pathways in proprietary, patented ways—ways designed by eminent neuroscientists to make optimal brain changes. Fast ForWord is uniquely plastic. It is an intensive program, with frequent opportunities for response (more than 6500 responses by day six of the program, and 45,000 trials by day 40!) Its patented technology trains sound perception at the millisecond level. Fast ForWord lets technology to what it does best, and therapists do what they do best. It is adaptive to the individual at the scientifically validated level of challenge/success that drives brain change. It provides simultaneous development of language and cognitive skills to build learning capacity. Rewards are scheduled to promote learning and sustain motivation.

A fourth grade student, with listening comprehension challenges, completed Fast ForWord, and was happy to report, as was her mother, that she was having a more successful time on the soccer field because she could finally “understand her coach yelling from the sidelines.”

After Fast ForWord, a young student said that his“teacher had learned to talk more slowly” and it was much easier to follow directions in school.

What kind of results can you expect?

A wide-range of outcomes is possible, everything from improved phonemic awareness, and improved short-term memory, to better language comprehension—and even expressive language. A frequent comment is that a “veil is lifted” and the child is tuning in to the daily auditory environment. Attention and work ethic can also improve.

MSPG’s clients have reported the following:

B, a high school student, who had struggled to get A’s and B’s throughout her academic career, had initially come to MSPG with overall below average language scores. She was known as a student with slow language processing rate, which impacted all of her language modalities (listening, talking, reading, and writing). After one year of receiving individualized language treatment, she enrolled in Fast ForWord for the summer. She was motivated, and did the program diligently according to protocol. As the following academic year progressed, she noticed that school and homework were becoming easier. She commented that “I can finally hear everything the teacher is saying, and I can now do my homework faster and by myself.” Approximately six months after completing Fast ForWord, her language was formally re-evaluated, and her skills had shifted to the average range.

Another client reported that he was able to“listen faster” in class and could “now take notes and easily follow class lectures.”

O, a middle school student, had been enrolled in speech-language therapy since pre-school. O struggled with language tasks, particularly reading and writing. She had significantly impaired working memory. While she was a diligent student who did well in the classroom, her success did not translate to standardized testing at school. She eventually did Fast ForWord one summer during middle school. The following academic year, her standardized test results at school reflected her classroom performance. She was recommended for advanced coursework across several subjects, and her confidence improved tremendously.

Parents have noticed that their children are hearing incidental conversations that previously went over their heads prior to Fast ForWord. They now have to be careful about what they are saying in earshot of their children.